Any type of gum disease may loosen or damage an entire tooth. A tooth that is severely decayed has to be removed. A dentist or a dental surgeon may do the procedure of removing the tooth.

What to Expect from Tooth Extraction

Before the extraction proper, a local anesthetic is applied on the area surrounding the tooth to give a numbing sensation. A stronger anesthesia may be necessary if there are several teeth to be extracted if not all of them.

General anesthetic is applied for the entire body to numb which makes a person asleep throughout the procedure.

Stitches may be needed after the tooth is removed. You can also bite on a cotton gauze to stop the bleeding.

The tooth removed may be replaced with denture, implant, or a bridge. A bridge may be permanent or temporary which is used to replace one or more teeth.

What to Expect after Surgery

Recovery period lasts for several days. For faster recovery, there are several things that can be done.

You may take painkillers as prescribed by a dentist or an oral surgeon. They will help relieve pain and swelling.An ice-cold pack can be applied as cold compress outside your mouth from 10 to 20 minutes.

After 24 hours from tooth extraction, you may gargle with salt water solution several times a day. This helps relieve swelling and pain in the area as well.